December 28, 2005

By Rebecca Gladden

Question: What do Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman have in common?

Answer: They were all NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year winners.

Earning Rookie of the Year honors is something that most young drivers strive to achieve. The title distinguishes one Cup series newcomer as the best among all rookies in a given year.

The 2006 season will feature an exceptional group of talented drivers competing for Rookie of the Year honors, including two-time Busch series champion Martin Truex, Jr., and 2005 Busch series runner-up Clint Bowyer.

In order to contend for Rookie of the Year honors, a driver can not have previously competed in more than seven Cup races in one season. Each driver must also qualify for at least eight of the first 20 Cup races to remain in ROTY contention.

Rookie of the Year candidates are scored on a unique and complex points system in which each driver's 17 best races are counted towards the title, with various bonus points awarded throughout the season. In addition, a five-member Rookie of the Year panel, comprised of various NASCAR drivers and officials, judges the ROTY candidates in three areas: conduct with officials in the garage and pits, conduct and awareness on the track, and personal appearance and conduct with the media. The panel members may penalize any rookie for actions deemed detrimental to NASCAR. At the end of the season, all applicable points are tallied and the Rookie of the Year winner is announced.

Among the drivers contending for the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year honors are:

J.J. Yeley: 2005 was Yeley's first full year in the Busch series, finishing 11th in points with 12 top-10's. J.J. was tapped by Joe Gibbs Racing to take over the #18 car being vacated by Bobby Labonte, who moves to the #43 Petty Enterprises ride after 11 years at JGR.

The competition for 2006 Rookie of the Year is likely to be very close, intense, and a lot of fun to watch.

Discuss this and other racing matters in the Prodigys@Speed Forum

You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.

   You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca

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